Love and Demons

In Africa one of the most prominent issues- spiritually speaking- is witchcraft. In my experience here in Tanzania I have witnessed the effects of the Africans’ involvement in witchcraft. My first encounter was a few weeks ago when we were doing door to door evangelism. Pastor took us to the home of a woman who is a member of our church. The woman called Pastor to cast out a demon that she thought was in her daughter. The daughter, “Grace”, came into the room with a deep sadness in her eyes. Her grandmother played a significant role in teaching Grace to rely on witch doctors and to send demons to other people. We spent three days talking to Grace, speaking truth into her life, getting to know her story, and showing her love. Grace had a painful problem in her stomach which felt like something was moving up and down her insides. On the third day Grace returned with trinkets that she wanted us to destroy. She had been given the trinkets by the witch doctor to use for witchcraft activities. Grace accepted the Lord and the next thing I know Grace is writhing on the floor and Pastor is casting out a demon from her. Her body lost complete control, even to the point that she urinated on the floor. It took two of us to hold her legs down. A few moments later, Grace stands up, set free from the demon that influenced her. She smiled, gave us huge hugs, and returned home with her mother after offering us enthusiastic gratitude. After she left, Pastor looked at me, “Amanda, you have many questions, yes?” “Pastor, you have no idea.”

[Grace]

Two weeks later we were brought to an open-air crusade meeting that we would be watching over the next six days. While we were there I noticed a line of about twenty men and women who were dancing with long robes and waving flags that said “Pray for Africa”. I leaned over to Pastor and told him that I thought it would be so much fun to be a flag girl. The next thing I know I was in a bright colored robe, dancing with a flag around the crusade in a line of Africans. I loved every minute of it! At the end of the crusade we were mixed into the crowd listening to the preacher call for those who needed healing to come to the front. All of a sudden a girl in front of me fell back on top of me, writhing and flailing the same way Grace did. I stood in shock until the crowds yelled at me, “Take her to the tent! You take her!” In that moment I realized that part of my job description as a “flag girl” was also bringing demon-influenced people into the big blue tent where the demons were being cast out. I was kicked in the nose several times, clawed, hit, etc.., as I carried these individuals who were manifesting the demon that was influencing their bodies.

[Flag Choir]

At the end of the week I attended church. In the middle of the service, Pastor asked the congregation to come to the front to be prayed over. In the middle of his prayer a girl in front of me fell back rigidly on top of me. Four other men helped me carry her to the back as her body flailed and flung all over the place. At the back of the church I held Esther in my lap tightly making sure her head did not hit the concrete floor. I wiped the foam from her mouth and tried to avoid her fists. At one point she grabbed my arms so tightly I could not remove her grip without help from Lisa. After about thirty minutes, Esther was no longer influenced by a demon, and she accepted the Lord into her life.

[Esther]